Moon and Mars today in red: all about the event of the century | Tiroler Tageszeitung online

By Tamara Stocker

Innsbruck – This Friday is for all Tyroleans: eyes raised and eyes raised! For what will be seen on July 27 at 9:30 pm in the sky, this will not happen again in 105,000 years, as calculated by the portal Mondfinsternis.info.

During the longest total lunar eclipse of this century, the full moon of summer becomes red for 103 minutes. At the same time, Mars is no closer to Earth than it has been in 15 years – and seems to be particularly bright and tall in the immediate vicinity of the Moon. The reason for the appointment: Mars is in "opposition" – means, Sun, Earth and Mars form exactly one line. So he snuggles exactly on the other side of the earth like the sun. In addition, it is also very close to the land with a distance of "only" 58 million kilometers. For comparison: the maximum distance from Mars is 401 million kilometers, the lowest of 54 million.

View to the southeast should be as free as possible

But not only the moon and Mars are clearly visible in the sky. Jupiter and Saturn are also visible. As soon as it's dark, they shine in the evening sky.

The moment of the lunar eclipse of the century is perfect as it begins with the rising of the moon in the early evening. In Innsbruck, the moon rises Friday at 20:46 in the three districts of the Oberland three minutes later. The first corner is East Tyrol at 20:39. More here in the interactive map:

If you want to admire the spectacle of the sky in all its glory, you should look for a place with a breathtaking view of the southeast horizon. With us in the Alps, it may not be so easy to find one. The high places on the eastern or southern edge of the mountains are the closest to the question. Even tall buildings or trees can obscure the view, because seen from the northern hemisphere of the earth, the moon does not rise in particularly high darkness above the horizon. In contrast, the best viewing spot in the plains might be the window of the domestic kitchen. As a rule, the further south-east, the more you can see. If dear Lienz than Innsbruck, better South Tyrol than East Tyrol.

Beautiful view in East Tyrol, danger of clouds in the mountains

But the best point of view does not help if the weather does not play. According to the experts of UBIMET this will be the case in most of Austria; only sporadically – as in the Waldviertel or Upper Styria – showers and thunderstorms could become a spoilsport. On a clear day, the lunar eclipse can be observed from any location in Austria. Travelers in the Mediterranean, for example, can often expect good conditions.

According to the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG), the chances of good visibility are highest in the southern parts of Styria, Carinthia and East Tyrol. Here on Friday with less thunderstorms and therefore less residual moisture is expected. But this is not so much the case of the highlands: there are probably more clouds in the afternoon because of thunderstorms all over the country, which should only regress in the second half of the night. However, according to ZAMG, the forecasts for Friday are still subject to some question marks due to the general weather situation.

Full sequence of Africa to India visible

This time, observers in southern Africa and on the islands of the Indian Ocean are in the forefront. Still in East and Central Africa, the Near and Middle East, Southeast Asia and throughout Antarctica, the lunar eclipse is visible throughout its course – while central Europeans do not see the 39, entering the darkness and the shadow of the Earth. But do not worry: what is missing at first comes after the Totality at 11:13 pm in the reverse order. No luck this time around the people of North America because they see nothing of the sky show.

Also a look in the remaining starry sky is worth the trouble

From 21:30, the lunar disc is completely covered by the shadow of the Earth and completely obscured. The full moon only made climbing the width of a good hand over the horizon and looks huge in the right perspective, typical of the full moon of summer. The nearness of the horizon is provided by the lunar illusion, because in reality this full moon is the smallest of all the year – because the moon on its elliptical orbit has the earth at its greatest distance from us. For this reason, this lunar eclipse takes even more time, the totality ends only at 23.13 hours. The peak, the maximum darkening, is around 22:21, when the moon is closest to the center of the Earth's core shadow.

Few minutes after the beginning of the whole, Mars appears in a particularly bright light just below the lunar eclipse. In the beginning we can also see Venus and Jupiter. And to the right, another celestial body shines: Saturn sparkles on the ribbon of the Milky Way. And not only that: During the phase of totality, the stars appear clearly around the moon in the increasing twilight, which would otherwise be surpbaded by the moonlight. Around the darkened full moon appear the constellations Capricorn and Aquarius, above the moon stands the visible constellation Adler. But "the star" is Mars – it overcomes everything.